I love a hot breakfast…when someone else is cooking it and serving it to me in bed. Most weekdays, I’d rather hit snooze a few times, which is why I compiled a list of the tastiest, quickest cold breakfast recipes I could find. Some of them can be made ahead and enjoyed at any temperature, while others require no cooking or baking at all. Below, you’ll surely find a low-maintenance idea that’s to your liking, whether it’s a wholesome cup of chia pudding or a decadent slab of pound cake you can enjoy on the go. Suddenly, that Monday traffic jam doesn’t seem so awful, does it?
26 Cold Breakfast Recipes for Busy Mornings
From no-cook gems to leftover delights
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Published Aug 5, 2024
Erin McDowell/Katherine Gillen/Carina Skrobecki
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, crowd-pleaser
- Serves: 4
Get your daily eggs in a flash by preparing this ahead and reheating (or not) to your liking in the morning. "Treat this recipe as a guideline and use whatever cooked veggies you have lurking from last night," writes PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen. "Everything from broccoli to Brussels sprouts to sweet potatoes will work. If you want to add meat, go for it. Got grains? Toss ’em in. The only thing that’s nonnegotiable is that the vegetables are pre-cooked."
2. Espresso Streusel Coffee Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 12
Because some mornings, you deserve to get your caffeine in cake form. "It’s sweet but not too sweet, swirled with cinnamon and, lucky for you, doesn’t even require an espresso machine," Gillen explains. "The secret is Instant espresso powder."
3. Cranberry Walnut Grain-Free Granola
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
- Serves: 10
Tired of spending a fortune on fancy store-bought granola? Good news: There’s a DIY for that. “Eat it as a snack on its own with the milk of your choice, paired with whole-milk yogurt or coconut yogurt and fruit or even sprinkled over salads in place of croutons,” writes recipe creator Sarah Adler.
4. Aran Goyoaga’s Glazed Lemon, Yogurt and Olive Oil Pound Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, make ahead
- Serves: 10 to 12
This moist, olive oil-kissed confection is sure to impress at your next Sunday brunch gathering. "It is very lemony and moist with a simple glaze," writes cookbook author Aran Goyoaga. "You can add orange zest or poppy seeds to it if you’d like."
5. Crispy Quinoa Cashew Granola
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, make ahead
- Serves: 16
This homemade granola recipe hits the spot *and* boasts an impressive nutritional profile. The secret is macambo beans. "Macambo is a part of the same plant family as the cacao bean," writes chef Seizan Dreux Ellis, “and has been used for centuries by Amazonian healers. It has a very high protein content and is rich in both fiber and omega-9 fatty acids.”
6. Green Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 2
This verdant sipper is packed with leafy greens and healthy fats. It's lightly sweetened with a combination of honey, coconut water and tart Granny Smith apples, so the smoothie is a well-balanced, palate-pleasing way to start the day.
7. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly. <10 ingredients, vegan
- Serves: 1
Add creamy, dreamy smoothie to the growing list of things you can do with cauliflower. The rest is frozen fruit, almond butter for protein and a chopped date for natural sweetness.
8. Easy Cherry Almond Granola Bars
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 12
These homemade granola bars are considerably healthier than the sugar-loaded store-bought kind and can be customized with any combination of your favorite mix-ins. (I'm partial to dried cherries and chocolate chips.)
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
- Serves: 12
Test your star baker abilities with a sinfully delicious Danish recipe you can bake in advance and enjoy for many mornings to come. They look so fancy that no one will realize you used jarred cranberry sauce and store-bought puff pastry.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
- Serves: 12
Cream cheese in the middle and streusel on top? Yep, this is yet another Danish I can get down with. Even picky kids will beg for seconds of this cinnamony delight.
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
- Serves: 12
These doughnuts are exceedingly easy to make, thanks to easy canned biscuit dough. Fry them up, frost them generously and keep them in the fridge for mornings when you want to indulge (or not turn on the stove).
12. Chocolate and Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Time Commitment: 8 hours and 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, gluten free
- Serves: 1
With five minutes of evening prep and a full eight hours of shut-eye, you can wake up to chocolate for breakfast. Top it with yogurt for tang or whipped cream to drive the dessert vibes home.
13. Fruit and Granola Breakfast Popsicles
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 10
Freeze your favorite breakfast ingredients—fresh fruit, granola, Greek yogurt—for a cold treat you can eat on the go. (Did I mention this treat’s great to eat on a scorching summer morning?)
14. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Roll-Ups
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <30 minutes, gluten free
- Serves: 2
Here, peanut butter and banana are wrapped in crepes and drizzled with dark chocolate. Make the crepes the night before (or buy premade ones from the grocery store) and keep them in the fridge for a lightened-up breakfast that looks and tastes like a treat.
15. Strawberry and Banana Smoothie with Yogurt
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: no cook, gluten free, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 3
What’s there to say? It's hard to go wrong with a morning smoothie starring this classic flavor combo. Hemp hearts and oats are added to the mix too to make the drink more filling.
16. Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cookies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 4 dozen
Presenting a grab-and-go breakfast cookie that will please your inner child (or your real-life kids) without sacrificing your grown-up wellness goals. Seriously—they're packed with peanut butter, oats, wheat germ, eggs and almonds.
17. Frozen Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowls
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, high protein, kid-friendly
- Serves: 1
Peanut butter, coconut oil and mixed berries unite for a smoothie that’s so creamy and decadent, it deserves to be savored with a spoon. Finish 'em with chia seeds, melted peanut butter, coconut cream or granola.
18. Panda Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, vegetarian, <30 minutes
- Serves: 1
You’d be hard-pressed to find a picky eater who could resist this level of cuteness. (Thankfully, it doesn’t require serious artistic skills on your part or fancy ingredients either.)
19. Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: low sugar, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 12
Applesauce is used to cut the sugar content in these healthy and satisfyingly sweet peanut butter and banana muffins. The banana also ensures that they turn out impossibly moist and sweet, as long as you use overripe ones.
20. Breakfast Parfaits with Fruit, Yogurt and Granola
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, <30 minutes
- Serves: 2
In case you missed it, parfait is the French word for perfect. Let’s just say this simple but satisfying combo of fresh fruit, yogurt and granola lives up to its name. It's also endlessly riffable and easy to assemble.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, <10 ingredients
- Serves: 8
You’ll want to make a big batch—this crunchy maple, peanut butter and pecan granola is downright addictive. Prepare it 0n a Sunday to nosh on all week long.
22. Apple Muesli
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, one bowl
- Serves: 1
Running late? You can still whip up a quick, homemade breakfast. Put down that box of sugary cereal and opt for healthy homemade muesli instead, which you can whip up in ten minutes flat and top with all your favorite fruits.
23. Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why I Love It: gluten free, vegan, beginner-friendly
- Serves: 12
The lunch staple gets a breakfast makeover for busy mornings, and I'm not mad about it. I like that they’re naturally sweetened and gluten free, so I can feel semi-virtuous about seconds (and thirds).
24. Ginger Citrus Chia Cups with Pistachios and Goji Berries
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus chilling time)
- Why I Love It: one bowl, gluten free, make ahead
- Serves: 1
Ginger and orange zest make palate-pleasing magic in this healthy, oh-so fancy chia pudding, courtesy of Coterie member Gena Hamshaw. It requires no cooking, only an overnight soak in the fridge.
25. Everything Bagel Cheddar Cheese Ball
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, low carb, gluten free
- Serves: 8
For when you want a mouthful of seasoned cream cheese without a carb-loaded bagel. Try dipping carrot sticks or celery in it, or having it with slivers of smoked salmon for more protein.
26. Peanut Butter Maca Overnight Oats
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead
- Serves: 2
Peanut butter and maca give these overnight oats a rich, nutty flavor you'll adore. The raw chocolate is just a bonus. Go on, you deserve it.
